Creating New Bonds
by MalikaAssassin
Summary: There was a time in Airi's life when she lived with her family. She would have continued living with them if she didn't have to leave to find a way to break a curse. This curse being placed onto her for an unknown reason to her. When she and her brothers begin travelling to India, they meet a youkai named Xia. It wasn't until they were all older that they meet the Sanzo-Ikkou.
1. Chapter 1

**_Creating New Bonds_**

_**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Saiyuki, its characters, or its storyline. Kazuya Minekura has all rights to everything relating to Saiyuki. Unless stated otherwise, any characters and storyline you don't recognize are mine.**_

_**NOTE: This chapter is made for background purposes. The next chapter will begin the story completely. I will also be skipping around in some parts as I feel the need for it to happen. Now, I don't know how soon the updates will be as I am working at a place that likes to screw with people and some of the people just want to play around. I will, however, base my updates around my schedule and get the other stories updated as well as I go along.**_

Chapter 1

"Mom?" called a ten year old girl.

This girl's white hair shone in the light that filtered through the window, her brown eyes darting around. She wore brown shorts, a white shirt, no socks, and no shoes. She stood in the door of her room, waiting for her mother to respond to her. The girl felt sick, even though she didn't have a fever or have any symptom of the usual sickness. She sensed strange beings and sometimes saw what looked like monsters in her dreams, despite not believing in them. She didn't recall when she felt well nor did she recall ever feeling like she did her entire life.

"Airi, what's wrong?" inquired a woman as she came into the young girl's view.

"Mom, I know you're busy with my brothers and I hate to make you take time away from them, but are you sure I'm not sick?" inquired the girl. "Because I feel light headed sometimes and I often have these weird dreams about youkai attacking us with my brothers and I protecting you and dad."

The woman before the girl sent her a worried look, wondering if her daughter was going crazy.

"Lana, go back to the twins." said a man. "I'm taking our only daughter to a priest."

"Taro, please tell me that you're bringing her back." said Lana.

"I will." said Taro. "I just want her to be looked over by a priest. If Airi is having these weird dreams and not feeling well despite not having any known sicknesses, something is up."

The girl, Airi, went back into her room to get her sandals on and grab a light jacket.

"Taro, you don't think she's cursed do you?" inquired Lana's voice. "You don't think that strange priestess cursed our daughter for being curious do you?"

"Lana, its possible that we may have to find a temporary solution until I have Airi trained with my short sword and scythe." answered Taro's voice. "I don't like seeing her suffer for being a kid. At least this is isolated to one child. I wouldn't be able to handle it were it all three of my children."

"I'll give her my old charms." said Lana's voice, her voice shaky. "This way, she'll have something to help keep her safe outside of battle."

"Its all we can do unless the priest can tell us something different." said Taro's voice. "Airi, are you ready?"

"Yes, dad." answered Airi as she exited her room, adjusting her black jacket.

"We will be traveling to the closest shrine." stated Taro. "I'll be back with Airi before you know it, Lana."

"Don't worry, mom." agreed Airi. "The priests will know what to do. Right, dad?"

"Yes, Ai-chan." said Taro, patting his daughter's head. "Surely they will be able to help us in some way."

"Be safe." stated Lana.

"We will." said Taro.

* * *

It took seven hours to get from their small home to the shrine on foot, nightfall well underway. Taro often stopped to give his daughter a chance to sit down. During these breaks, he would show his daughter how to use his short sword, figuring it might be easier for her to handle. Airi wasn't as fast with learning things, but she kept trying and asked questions where they were needed. This gave Taro a strong sense of pride, knowing that he is the main reason his daughter would be able to fend for herself in battle one day. He just hoped that his daughter would return home from her journey with a good man when she was older. After finally getting to the shrine, climbing all its stairs, and finally seeing the head priest, Taro and Airi held high hopes of being helped.

The head priest examines Taro's daughter, asking her questions about that day four years earlier. The girl recalled the priestess getting annoyed with her curious questions. Airi didn't catch the incantation as it came in a language she wasn't familiar with at the time. The curse left its mark on Airi's back, taking over the entire length like a tattoo. Airi didn't know what the design of it was, but she has been told that it looks like a red and orange phoenix.

"The phoenix represents new life, right?" inquired the ten year old. "Doesn't that mean if I die, I'll be brought back by it?"

"I don't know, sweetie." answered Taro. "I honestly don't know."

With that, the priest sighs and gives Taro a sympathetic look.

"There's really not much we can do." said the head priest. "This particular curse is a special one. One that requires you to go to the one who placed it onto your daughter."

"How do we do that?" inquired Taro. "As you've heard, that priestess is currently in a village anywhere near the border of India. Let's say I do manage to get there with my daughter. What if the priestess refuses to?"

"Then you have to persuade her." answered the priest. "If you kill her, chances are that your daughter will die along with her, regardless of the phoenix on her back."

"What do we do, dad?" inquired Airi.

"We find that priestess." stated Taro. "Though, you can't go until you're better with a weapon."

"You aren't suggesting she go alone do you?" inquired the head priest.

"No, sir." answered Taro. "I have twin sons that will go with her. In seven years, they will be able to go out into the world."

"How old are your sons?" asked the head priest.

"Four." replied Taro. "They will be eleven when they leave with their sister, who will be seventeen at that time."

* * *

"Then I wish you luck with their training." stated the head priest.

"Dad!" whined an eleven year old boy with brown hair. "Why do we have to go with Airi?"

"Yaro, I wanna see what's outside of our home with Ai-chan." stated another eleven year old boy with white hair.

A newly turned seventeen year old Airi stood in the door of the home she's lived in since her birth. Her hair reached her chin, styled in a way to make her look slightly older than she was. Airi watched her brother begin to fight over why they should and shouldn't leave the comforts of home with her. She understood why Yaro didn't want to leave home. After all, Airi became cursed due to her stupid curiosity eleven years previous when she bothered that priestess. She didn't blame her brother at all, especially knowing its her own fault that put her into this situation.

"Akito, why do you wanna travel with someone who's cursed?" inquired the brown haired boy, Yaro. "She needs to go and deal with this herself."

"Yaro, when she leaves, who do you think gives you their dessert?" inquired the white haired boy, Akito. "Ai-chan always gives us half her dessert. She's always taken the fall for us when we did something bad, even though mom and dad knew we did it. We owe her, Yaro."

Airi smiled at how Akito always seemed to side with her. He looked over his shoulder, his brown eyes catching Airi's for a brief moment.

"Akito's right, Yaro." stated Airi as she fully entered the house. "I know you don't want to go, so I won't make you. After all, this is my problem and I brought this upon myself. I'll go alone. I don't want to make either you or Akito suffer."

"No, I wanna go, Ai-chan!" shouted Akito, running to his sister and wrapping his arms around her waist. "Don't go without us, Ai-chan! Please!"

Akito's eyes filled with tears, sobs beginning to rack his small frame. Airi placed a hand onto his head while using the other to wipe away his tears.

"Only if you want to, okay?" said Airi. "I want you to know that if you do go that this journey is a dangerous one, okay?"

Akito smiles up at his sister, hiding his face into her stomach. Yaro glared over at his sister, then up at his father.

"Do I really have to go, dad?" inquired the boy.

"Yes." answered Taro. "If you want to know what a real fight is, then you need to go."

"Fine." huffed Yaro, crossing his arms. "I'm not going to like it the entire way."

"Sure, you won't." said Taro, rolling his eyes. "Do you have everything, Ai-chan?"

"Yes, I triple checked everything." replied Airi. "I made sure to pack some blankets and pillows, so we have means of staying warm during the winter. I'm sure this will take us a long time to finish, so I'll write to you and mom."

"I'll look forward to your letters then." smiled Taro. "Lana, our children will leave tomorrow morning!"

"I'm right here, Taro, no need to shout." stated Lana. "Airi, make sure the boys don't cause too much trouble in any of the villages."

"I will, mom." said Airi. "Don't worry about money. I've been saving since eight years old. I have plenty of money at this time and I will stop in a village to make more if I need to."

Lana smiles at her three children, thankful that they were sticking together through this. Her vision begins to blur, tears begin to roll down her face. Slowly at first, but soon begins to come out fast as she walked towards her children. She hugs tightly for what felt like hours, wishing that this entire curse business never happened, that her children could stay with her and her husband.

"Mom, its okay." said Airi. "We'll be alright. I promise to write to you and dad."

"We'll write to you too, mom!" added Akito cheerfully. "We want you to know what we learn and think, too."

"Mom, stop." sighed Yaro. "This is embarrassing."

"Return home safely, okay?" inquired Lana.

"We will, mom." smiled Airi, trying to hold back tears.

"And come back with a nice young man, Airi." grinned Taro. "I want grandchildren!"

"DAD!" shouted Airi, glaring at her father in embarrassment.

Taro begins to laugh as he walked over to his wife and children.

"I'm going to miss all three of you." said Taro. "Yaro, Akito, behave for your sister."

"We will." stated the twins.

* * *

Airi sat on the ground with her brothers napping beside her. The three were seven miles away from their tiny village, one they may not even return to at the end of their journey.

'I hope we can see our parents at the end of this journey.' thought Airi as her brothers woke up. 'I want to tell them the story of how their three children traveled through China towards its boundary with India and back in one piece.'

The three put away what little items they got out of their packs and continue their long trek to the next village. Airi listens for any weird sounds and keeps an eye out for anything out of the ordinary. The woman took note of a shape on the horizon, making her wonder what it could be.

"Ai-chan, what's that speck on the horizon?" inquired Akito.

"I don't know." answered Airi. "Be on your guard. We don't know if that is a friendly being or not. If its even a living being or not. And don't attack unless I start attacking, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah." said Yaro. "Whatever."

"Seems I'll have to work on that mouth of yours, Yaro." stated Airi.

"Don't kill him, Ai-chan!" sang Akito.

Yaro looks to his sister and brother with a suspicious expression, leading Airi to laugh.

"I'm not gonna kill ya, Yaro." said Airi once she calmed down. "I'm not that cold hearted. Besides, do you really think I would do that to my own brother? Mom and dad would have my head."

* * *

After three hours of walking and getting closer to the figure on the horizon, finding the figure to be a female youkai fighting off other youkai. There were three youkai in all, the woman and two males. The trio places their packs onto the ground, allowing them to fight without being impeded.

"Boys, we have to help her." said Airi firmly.

"What if she attacks us?" inquired Yaro angrily. "I don't wanna be killed, Airi."

"I'll deal with her myself if it comes down to having to fight her, Yaro." stated Airi. "Now let's help her before she dies."

Yaro and Akito run forward, drawing their short swords as they do so. Airi draws her scythe, thankful for all the training her father gave her.

"Hey, the outsider has humans joining her!" shouted the first youkai males.

"There's a woman among them!" said other male. "We should kill the brats and just take the women for ourselves."

This gives Airi reason to fight even stronger, to protect her brothers.

"Don't you dare lay a hand on my brothers!" shouted Airi, her grip on her scythe getting tighter. "If you do, then you have hell to pay."

"Yeah?" inquired the first male. "What'cha gonna do? Beat us to death with that blunt scythe?"

"Didn't you know?" inquired Airi. "This maybe an old scythe, but it is one that is sharp. Wanna try it out?"

Without another word, Airi ran forward with her scythe held over her head. Jumping the last yard, the woman brings down her scythe as hard as she could. She feels the scythe's blade go through the youkai's torso diagonally before it got stuck within the chest of said youkai.

"No, Ai-chan!" shouted Akito, running forward.

The boy jumped forward shoving his sword into the second youkai just as his claws hit Airi. The seventeen year old gives a cry of pain at the feeling of the youkai's claws entering her back. The youkai woman, who had stopped to watch the battle unfold, moved forward. She removed the dead youkai's claws from Airi's back, allowing the corpse to finally disappear. The nameless youkai yanked Airi's scythe out of the first dead youkai, allowing it to disappear as well.

"Remove your shirt." commanded the woman. "I can't heal it if you have your shirt on. Do you have anything underneath your shirt?"

"My bra." answered Airi through gritted teeth.

"That won't impede me then." stated the woman. "You do have other shirts, yes?"

"A traveler will need more clothing than just the ones they put on that morning." answered Airi.

"Good." stated the woman, letting Airi hear rustling behind her. "I know this is going to be hard to do, but don't move while I put this medicine on you."

The seventeen year old felt the nameless youkai woman put something onto her injury, the intense stinging making her give a yelp.

"Akito, are you okay?" inquired Airi, looking over to the youngest twin.

"What – what have I – Ai-Airi, what have I done?" inquired Akito. "Mom and dad said killing is a sin, right? Are we sinners now? I – I don't wanna be one, Airi!"

Airi's eyes soften as she reached a hand out to him, hoping that he'd come to her.

"Akito, listen to me." said Airi. "We aren't sinners for fighting to protect each other and this woman with us. We were doing what is right. We didn't do anything wrong. We fought to live, Akito. There's nothing wrong with fighting to keep living when its not our time."

Akito goes to his sister, hugging her tightly while giving into sobs. Airi wrapped her arms around her brother, trying to comfort him despite the pain in her back while the youkai woman performed first aid on her. She looks over to Yaro, who looked just as scared as Akito.

"Airi!" shouted the boy, running to his sister.

He wrapped his arms around her as well, beginning to sob like Akito. Airi felt the woman stop putting in medicine and began to look for something in her own pack.

"Yaro, Akito, its okay." said Airi, feeling tears coming to her own eyes. "We're all okay now. Everything will be okay, I promise."

The youkai woman smiles, noting how Airi would protect her brothers relentlessly. She looks through her black pack some more and grins when she finds bandages.

"I hate to do this to you three, but I need to put bandages onto your sister." said the woman.

Both boys refused to release their sister, fearing the worse.

"Yaro, Akito, I need to have a bandage on if I want to get better." stated Airi, wiping away a stray tear from her eyes. "Besides, don't you both want me to get better?"

Yaro and Akito release her reluctantly, not wanting to let her go. The youkai woman began to wrap Airi in some of the bandage, thankful she managed to get the two boys off her.

"How rude of me." said the woman as she finished wrapping Airi's back. "My name is Aoi Xia. Thank you for helping me."

"My name is Shu Airi." said the seventeen year old turning to the woman. "Yaro, Akito, don't be rude. Introduce yourselves."

"I'm Shu Akito." said the white haired boy.

"I'm Shu Yaro." stated the brown haired boy.

"Nice to meet you." said Xia.

Xia had long blue hair and green eyes. She wore typical traveler's clothing, boots, and cloak.

"I can say the same about you." smiled Airi. "Thank you for doing first aid on my back."

"No problem, Airi." said Xia with a smile of her own. "Say, do you wanna travel together? This road is a long one and we maybe of use to the each other.'

"What do you think, boys?" inquired Airi

"You're coming with us!" said Yaro.

Airi smiles more as she went over to her pack to retrieve a clean and intact shirt.

"Alright, let's continue to India!" said Airi.

"Good thing we're going to the same place." grinned Xia. "Why are you going to India?"

"My brothers and I are going to India to find the priestess that cursed me when I was six." answered Airi. "What about you?"

"I'm just traveling." stated Xia.

"I have a feeling there's more to it than just traveling." whispered Airi. "Wanna talk about it when the boys are sleeping?"

"We'll see." Xia whispered back.

* * *

By the time the four decided to stop for the evening, the sun was already setting before them. The boys gathered a group of stones, sticks, weeds, and Airi's old shirt. Akito and Yaro sat beside their sister, their blankets and pillows sitting behind them. Airi lit the items in the makeshift fire pit as night slowly came upon the four. It was Airi who began to cook what little food Xia had on hand, adding some of the supply she had on hand.

"Thank you for sharing some of your food with me." said Xia. "I honestly thought I had enough on me."

"It happens." said Airi. "I'm sure that even the most experienced traveler messes up some time in their travels."

"Got that right." laughed the youkai woman.

"If you don't mind me asking, how old are you, Xia?" inquired Akito.

"I'm not much older than your sister." answered Xia. "A year, I think."

"I'm seventeen, so that would make you eighteen." stated Airi.

"I thought you were younger than that." said Xia. "I thought you were fifteen."

"Nope." said Airi. "I just look younger than my age."

It wasn't long after that the group began to eat, silence as their companion. Before long, their meal had been finished.

"Airi, what's with the tattoo on your back?" inquired Xia.

"Its a sign of my curse." stated Airi. "Honestly, I'm not even sure where to begin with the story of my curse. I mean, its something I never understood. It makes me feel sick sometimes, other times it makes me unable to moves, it makes me anemic, and very rarely does it ever help me heal faster. Sometimes, having an injury increases the chances of me becoming sick."

"A curse that leaves behind a phoenix tattoo." said Xia. "I guess you and I are the same then."

"Huh?" came Airi's confused response.

Xia gets up and turns her back to the fire. She takes off her shirt, revealing a phoenix similar to Airi's.

"You and I are the same to an extent." said Xia. "If the same priestess I'm thinking of gave you that phoenix, then chances are the one who gave me this one are one and the same."

"Then, we really need to travel together." said Airi. "We can help each other out."

"However, my curse does something different." stated Xia. "It puts me into a lot of pain, making me wish for death, for someone to cure me of this curse."

"I hear that if the priestess dies, so do we." said Airi. "Despite the phoenixes we have on our backs."

"We're fucked, aren't we?" inquired Xia.

"Seems so." said Airi. "The boys have a good idea. Let's get to sleep. Hopefully we'll reach a village."

"Hopefully." agreed Xia.


	2. Chapter 2

**_Creating New Bonds_**

_**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Saiyuki, its characters, or its storyline. Kazuya Minekura has all rights to everything relating to Saiyuki. Unless stated otherwise, any characters and storyline you don't recognize are mine.**_

_**NOTE: I am basing this a year into the journey west for the Sanzo-Ikkou. This makes Sanzo twenty-four and Gojyo and Hakkai twenty-three. If Gaiden taught us anything, its that Goku is over five hundred years old.**_

Chapter 2

A group of four in cloaks entered the bustling town, getting a few glances from curious townspeople. Two of the cloaked figures towered over the other two, giving some of the townspeople the idea that the two shorter people were either men who were short or women.

"Excuse me." said one of the cloak clad people, stopping a group of men from their work. "Do you mind telling us where we could find an inn?"

The voice sounded female and kind, like that of a parent.

"Sure." stated one of the men. "Its right beside the bar."

"How much farther is that?" inquired one of the taller ones. "We're very weary after walking our way here and would very much like to get some food and a room."

The one that just spoke up sounded male, like that of a young man. It definitely sounded a little younger than the woman that spoke moments before.

"Just keep goin' straight." said another man. "Shouldn't be too hard to spot with each place havin' a sign on it an' all."

"Alright." said the other tall being, also male sounding. "Thank you for your time. Have a nice day."

With that, the four began to walk again, thankful that the town was just big enough to have an inn. As they made their way towards the inn, a strong wind blew their hoods off. This reveals two men and two women, all looking rather worn down from traveling.

"Airi, Xia, are you both okay?" inquired a nineteen year old Akito.

Akito's hair had become long, going underneath his cloak. His once childish looks had become very boyish and mature, making him similar to his father. He looked like he hadn't slept in days, just like the other three members of the group.

"I'm just tired, Akito." stated a twenty-five year old Airi. "Once sleep is done, we'll be fine."

Airi's once short hair had grown out and placed into a braid. She looked a like she could collapse at any moment as if lack of sleep wasn't the only thing she was experience.

"Don't lie, sis." said a nineteen year old Yaro. "Last time you said that, we almost immediately got in the middle of a bar brawl that was taken outside. Not only did your curse flare up, but Xia's did as well."

Like Akito's, Yaro's hair had become long. However, the difference was that his hair reached his shoulders and appeared to be rather messy. His face held three scars, indications of his near death experience. One scar sat on his forehead, running horizontally. The second ran vertically on his right cheek, looking as if it were infected at one point due to the slight purple tint it held. The final scar sat upon the bridge of his nose, running horizontally between his eyes.

"Hey, I had no idea that brawl would fucking happen, Yaro." growled the woman. "Don't pin that on me, ya jerk."

"Calm down." said a twenty-three year old Xia. "No need to get into a heated argument over this."

Xia's appearance wasn't that of a youkai. She appeared human with the aid of a pair of power limiters that dangled from her ears. This kept her safe from harm, making her thankful that whoever gave them to her did her a rather large favor. Airi huffs a bit, her arms crossing underneath the large cloak.

"I'll go on ahead to make sure there aren't any brawls." said Akito.

The man trots forward, wanting to keep Airi and Xia safe. Akito's voice had changed from sweet sounding to soft and gritty. Yaro's had merely become gruff and rough. It had been tough on the road to finding answers to their questions. Xia and Airi still had their phoenix tattoo-like markings on their backs, their markings often burning and causing them to fall ill at random times. When this happened, they were often in a fight with a random group of bandits or youkai. Airi stops, looking as if she was going to give the world a chance to see what little she had to eat as a light snack from three hours before entering town.

"Airi, do you feel sick?" inquired Yaro, placing a hand onto his sister's left shoulder.

"Y-yeah." answered Airi. "I don't feel well. I'm feeling a little light headed, Yaro."

"Alright, I'm carrying you." stated Yaro. "Do you mind taking Airi's pack, Xia?"

Yaro takes Airi's pack off, holding it to Xia. He hoped he wasn't overloading her at all.

"I don't mind at all, Yaro." said Xia, taking Airi's pack. "I find it weird that when she gets sick due to the curse, I don't. When I do, she doesn't."

Yaro picks his sister up, giving her a chance to rest on the way to the inn.

"And then there are the times when you both have to stay back during battle due to the curse making you both sick at the same time." added Yaro. "I'm worried. We need to find something to keep the curse at bay until it can be broken."

Airi said nothing, merely leaned into her brother. She closed her eyes, falling asleep almost instantly.

* * *

The sounds of glass breaking in the room next to the one that Airi and her group stayed in caused the four to wake in a panic. They leave the room just in time for someone to be knocked through one wall and through another. Airi's grip on her scythe tightened as she ran forward, the demon causing the trouble coming into view.

"No, Airi!" shouted Xia, running after her friend with her sais in hand. "You're not recovered yet."

"I can't let people die because of these assholes, Xia!" Airi shouted back as she brought her scythe down, the blade slicing through the youkai's head and torso.

This reveals the youkai's brain, heart, and causing blood to spray the surrounding area. This leaves Airi in a bloody mess as more youkai appeared as the person who went through two walls appeared again, unscathed from being through thick wood.

"I'm not letting you near my sister!" shouted Yaro as he killed the demon that appeared behind Airi.

"Thanks, bro." said Airi, looking at the nineteen year old.

"No problem, sis." grinned Yaro as he continued to fight youkai.

"How are you holding up, Xia?" inquired Akito as he cut down three demons.

"I would feel better if there weren't many insane youkai giving us and those around us problems." answered Xia, dodging and shoving her sais into the closest demons. "What about you, Akito?"

"I could say the same thing." laughed the man, continuing his actions.

It wasn't until five gun shots rang out, killing the last five youkai in the area.

"Is everyone alright?" inquired Airi, turning to her group as she sheathed her weapon.

Worry plastered all over her face, not wanting to deal with having to break bad news to any families.

"I'll say we're all fine, Ai-chan." answered Xia.

"Wait, what about the guy who went through two walls?" asked Yaro.

"You four fought well." stated a voice from beside Airi.

Airi turned to the direction of the voice, her short sword aimed at the stranger. A man wearing green stood in the wall on the right, a ball of energy in one of his hands.

"Who are you?" inquired Airi.

"I could ask you the same thing, Miss." answered the man.

Aside from wearing green, he had brown hair, green eyes, and boots. A small white dragon appeared and landed onto his shoulders.

"Sis asked you first, bucko." growled Yaro. "Now answer before I make you."

"Bro, watch it." commanded Airi. "My name is Shu Airi. My companions and I are going west to find answers about why once friendly youkai are going crazy and to find a way to break the curse on me and a fellow companion."

"Sanzo, I found the group of four Kannan mentioned to us earlier." called the brunette.

"There's more of you?" inquired Akito. "How many more are there?"

"Just four of us, like you." smiled the brunette. "May I ask that you lower your weapon?"

"I can sense you won't cause harm." stated Airi. "At least, not when provoked. Who are you?"

"I'm Cho Hakkai." answered the man, watching as Airi put her weapon away.

He allows the ball of energy in his hand to dissipate, putting his hands down while a smile still adorned his face.

"Hakkai, are they injured?" inquired a cold sounding voice as a blonde man appeared behind Hakkai.

This man wore silk priest robes, a scripture over his shoulders, a black shirt of some form under his robes, arm warmers, socks, and boots. The man's violet orbs meet Airi's brown ones, his glaring into hers. The woman sent the glare right back to the man – whom she assumed to be Sanzo –, not liking him no more than he did her.

"We're fine, asshat." stated the cursed woman. "If you want a nicer response, I highly suggest you get the fuck off your god damned high horse."

This earns Airi some laughter from behind her and from her group, the brunette before her giving her a mildly surprised expression while the blonde's glare grew.

"Wow, even a woman is tellin' ya to loosen up." laughed a male voice. "I already like her."

"Women don't normally curse like that, right, Hakkai?" inquired another male voice from behind the priest.

"Normal women wouldn't curse at all, Goku." answered Hakkai.

"If you haven't noticed, I'm not exactly normal." stated Airi. "Neither is my friend over there."

"Its true." said Akito, a grin in his tone. "Ai-chan and Xia-chan aren't like other women at all."

"Hey, you're all being rude." said Airi. "You three as well, guys."

The last statement went to Airi's group of companions, breaking her glaring contest with the blonde man. The man from behind Airi walked towards her, appearing beside her. This gives the white haired woman the chance to see him for the first time since he went sailing through two thick slabs of wood. The man had two scars on his left cheek, blood red hair and eyes, wore a white shirt, a brown jacket, jeans, and boots.

"I'm Sha Gojyo." said the hanyou, a seductive smile gracing his lips.

He places an arm around Airi's shoulders, only for her brothers to attack him.

"Don't touch our sister, you pervert!" the twins shouted angrily, making their sister smile.

The twin boys go after Gojyo, weapons in hand. They didn't like the fact that he wanted to bed their sister, making him give them a very bad impression.

"Thank you, Akito, Yaro." sang the woman.

"Whoa, that's the first time I've seen them go into overprotective mode." said Xia, chuckling during this. "I'm Aoi Xia. The two attacking your companion are Airi's younger twin brothers, Yaro and Akito. Yaro is the brown haired one and Akito is the one with Airi's hair and eye color."

A boy with gold hair and eyes appears in front of Hakkai, a worried look on his face as he watched Gojyo trying to get the brothers off him. He wore a white shirt with claw-like shoulder pads, half of an orange cape, white cut off pants, and boots.

"I'm Son Goku." said the boy slowly, a little worried about what the twin boys would do to him if he tried to touch the woman before him.

"The man behind me is Genjyo Sanzo." stated Hakkai. "We were ordered to bring you and your companions with us."

"Were we well aware of this, Xia?" inquired Airi, looking towards her youkai friend.

"Yes." answered the woman. "You were dead to the world when she told us, so I can see why you wouldn't know. Then again, your curse made you feel like you would be vomiting at any given time."

"Curse?" inquired Goku, confusion over taking his worry as he brought his gaze to Airi.

"Well, its not just me that's cursed in my group." stated Airi.

"I'm cursed as well." said Xia. "Say, the title 'Sanzo' is the highest rank for a priest, right?"

"Yeah." answered the blonde in annoyance.

"Xia, he may not be able to do anything to help us break our curses." said Airi. "I don't doubt your ability, its more or less of the answer we'll receive. Let's just say that every priest that we came across has said the same thing for many years for both Xia and myself."

"Have you found the ones who did the curses on either of you?" inquired Hakkai.

"Strangely, we got cursed by the same priestess at different times." stated Airi. "We're traveling to India in hopes of finding her in hopes of getting the curses broken. Xia, my brothers, and I have been traveling for the past eight years to find this woman. Boys, the idiot has learned his lesson. Leave him alone before he spreads his stupid onto you."

Goku begins to laugh at this, finding it hilarious that the water sprite held no luck with the woman before him. Hakkai goes over to Gojyo to glance over his injuries from the twins, hoping there were no serious injuries. The twin boys go to Airi's side, glaring over at Gojyo as they stood proudly beside her.

"Yare yare desu ne." said Hakkai. "You're lucky that they weren't using their full strength, Gojyo. You'd have some broken bones if they were."

"Hey, we maybe overprotective over our sister, but we're not gonna kill someone for hitting on her." said Akito.

"If he made her cry or hurt her in anyway, then we can't make any promises." added Yaro.

"What I wanna know is how Hakuryuu is going to carry all of us." stated Hakkai. "There isn't enough room in his jeep form."

"Hakuryuu?" inquired Xia.

"I'm assuming that is the adorable white dragon on Hakkai-san's shoulders, Xia." answered Airi. "Correct, yes?"

"Y-yeah." answered Hakkai, a little dumbfounded. "We need to find something big enough to carry all of us, Sanzo. Otherwise, we're stuck walking."

"Ai-chan, do you think we should find that small black dragon we saw earlier?" inquired Akito. "Maybe its like Hakuryuu."

"Yeah, we should find the adorable black dragon!" cheered Xia.

"Akito, you do realize I was dead to the world, right?" inquired Airi. "I haven't seen any dragons aside from Hakuryuu."

"Oh, right." said Akito, almost dumbly.

"Can we discuss this tomorrow?" inquired Yaro. "I don't want the girls to be tired tomorrow should their curses act up."

"Yeah." answered Hakkai. "What are your room numbers?"

"We're sharing a double." stated Xia. "The room number is forty-three."

"We're forty-four." said Hakkai.

With that, the large group went to their respective rooms.

* * *

The night went uneventful after the one fight, giving the large group the rest they needed. Airi woke first, wanting to go pick up some breakfast for her group and the four men that appeared to them last night. If she was lucky, she might be able to find some way to get all of them to India without having to overload the white dragon that Hakkai has.

'I don't know if I will, though.' thought Airi. 'I'll discuss something with Hakkai and Sanzo since they seem to be the main ones to go to. I'll do that after breakfast is brought back to the room the Sanzo-Ikkou is in.'

The white haired woman gets dressed into something that didn't attract the heat, hoping to not suffocate in the heat of the desert. After getting dressed in a blue shirt and gray jeans, Airi leaves the room she shared with her brothers and best friend.

"You're up early." stated Hakkai's voice.

Airi looks to her right and smiles at the brunette.

"Good morning, Hakkai-san." said Airi. "I planned on buying breakfast for everyone. Would you like to join me to pick it all up from the market?"

"Sure." smiled Hakkai. "To be honest, I was about to go buy some things to make breakfast myself."

"How's about we buy everything for pancakes?" inquired Airi as she and Hakkai started down the hall. "If anything, we can add a few things you want with it."

"Oh, so you planned on buying supplies for breakfast as well." said Hakkai. "That may work. Though, Sanzo isn't into sugary foods that I know of. We may have to get some things for him specifically."

"Alright." sighed Airi. "You know Sanzo well enough. You'll need to pick up what he likes."

"Alright." said Hakkai. "Anything in particular you want to grab for all of us to drink?"

"I was thinking of green tea." stated Airi. "I'll have to pick up something for my brothers. If I don't, they'll get whiny. Nineteen and they still act like whiny little kids sometimes."

They reach the entrance of the inn, the sun just barely over the horizon. The morning air felt nice to Airi, a definite source of getting cool that will be gone before noon even arrived. Hakkai turned right, the white haired woman following him.

"They certainly weren't acting like that last night." chuckled Hakkai. "Are your parents aware of your curse?"

"That's because they are like me in the sense of disliking guys who are looking for a one night stand and aren't interested in the girl they trying to seduce." stated Airi. "I was six when I got cursed and I wasn't really able to care for myself properly then. So, they are well aware."

As the pair made their way to the market, something caught Airi's eye. The creature looked similar to Hakuryuu in terms of size and breeding, but appeared more black than anything. It looked rather weak, as if it had been seriously hurt or starving. Airi broke away from Hakkai, making him stop and watch what she could be doing. Upon getting closer, Airi took note that the dragon before her is much smaller than Hakuryuu. She picked up the dragon and carried it towards Hakkai. The dragon gave a small sound, as if it was in pain.

"I'm not letting this dragon stay out here alone to die." said Airi.

The woman gingerly held the dragon, holding her away from her body a bit.

"I'll return with you to the inn. Could I borrow your brothers? I'm afraid Gojyo is having one of his escapades and isn't going to be back until breakfast is made." inquired Hakkai.

"Yeah." said Airi. "Is it okay if I gave them the money I earned on the way here? And could you pick up some fruit, too? I'm sure Hakuryuu would like something different and to give Kageryuu something that's a little easy on her."

"Sure thing." said Hakkai. "And I'm surprised you've named her already."

"I don't feel right just calling her 'dragon' or 'you'." stated Airi. "Now, let's hurry to the inn. We can't afford letting Kageryuu die due to starvation."

Hakkai smiles and starts for the inn, Airi following him with the dragon loosely against her. The dragon seemed very bony to the touch, her bones protruding from her sides.

"Do you have something to help her hold on until I can return with supplies for breakfast?" inquired Hakkai.

"Yes, I do have some food on hand." replied Airi. "I'll give her some of the fruit we do have and the meat we have from last night."

At the mention of food, Kageryuu looked up at the white haired woman with a thankful gleam in her red eyes. The very thought of something edible placed in front of the fragile dragon sounded nice.

* * *

Airi didn't recall when she had begun to run around her inn room like a crazed woman nor did she recall when she even returned to her room. All that she knew at the moment was helping the tiny dragon she and Hakkai found not long after leaving the inn. Xia watched as her best friend hurried around the room trying to keep the small runt of a dragon comfortable.

The youkai wondered how her friend hadn't found the owner of the dragon first, if the owner searched for the tiny creature. Xia woke to Airi's worried voice that morning, telling her brothers to help Hakkai as the white haired woman took care of the small dragon in her arms. The commotion brought a sleepy Goku and an annoyed Sanzo towards the room, the door having been open the entire time Airi told her brothers off for complaining about being brought out of sleep so early in the morning. Xia glanced to the corner of the room noting that Sanzo sat in one of the chairs in the room, reading a newspaper.

"Airi, sit down." said Xia. "You're going to tire yourself out before we find a solution to our riding arrangements."

"Xia, I'm not letting Kageryuu be uncomfortable." stated Airi. "I'm trying to keep her hydrated and not overload her body by giving her too much water or food."

"What about her owner?" inquired Xia.

"What owner?" scoffed Airi. "If Kageryuu's owner cared, they wouldn't have let her in such bad condition. She deserves better than that."

"Do you really believe that?" inquired Sanzo from behind his paper. "You can barely care for your brothers, much less yourself."

"You're one to talk, asshole." stated Airi in a hiss. "You're the one who has the others do shit you should do yourself. If ya want somethin' to drink, get it yourself."

Sanzo brings his paper own to his lap, glaring over his reading glasses at the woman who stood beside her bed with the small dragon. Xia feels the tension rise quickly, making her uncomfortable by being in the same room as the two. The young woman knew that little Kageryuu felt uncomfortable, being in a weak state and having to feel the tension rise to high levels. This wasn't the best way to help the tiny dragon in terms of recovering.

"Calm down." said Xia, trying to lower the tension. "No need to get worked up."

Airi's eyes narrow as Sanzo gives what sounded like a scoff, then brings the paper back up and blocking the women from his vision. Airi picks up the pillow Yaro threw at her earlier and tossed it to Sanzo, hoping it pissed him off enough to leave the room. She didn't want to be in his presence, knowing that the tension would just continue to climb. Sensing something flying towards him, Sanzo looks over his paper. It was then the pillow hits his face, the top of the newspaper being briefly hitting the pillow as it finally met its intended target. Airi still stood in her original spot, Xia watching with wide eyes. This had been the first time Airi acted out like she did and Xia feared for her friend's safety while Hakkai was away. Xia had noted that Hakkai seemed to scare the priest a little. At least, enough to keep him from doing anything stupid. The priest releases one side of the newspaper and reaches up for the pillow, which oddly stayed on his face the span of thirty seconds.

When he removed the pillow from his face, the glare on his face scared Xia. The glare caused her to go hide beside the bed. He stood up, his five foot eleven inch height towering over Airi's five foot even height. Sanzo made his way to Airi, his eyes screaming anger as the door opened. Airi and Sanzo don't notice, but Xia does.

"Gojyo, stop him before he does something to hurt Airi and Kageryuu!" shouted Xia, her voice shaking.

"What the hell?" inquired Gojyo's voice. "Fuck. Hey, prissy priest, don't you dare touch her! Don't be one of those men that beat women for the fun of it. I swear that I'll beat the ever living shit out of you if you so much as touch her."

This causes Sanzo to turn his wrath onto the hanyou, whom just earned a lot of points from Xia. The youkai woman hurries over to Airi as Sanzo stomps over to Gojyo. Just as Sanzo goes to grab his gun, Airi's brothers come into view. Akito and Yaro wore dark glares, knowing that the man had down something to their sister.

"What did you do?" inquired Yaro. "I'm telling you, Sanzo, that if you've pissed her off while recovering from when the sickness her curse brought on, I can and will kill you."

"I'll help him." said Akito. "Airi is the only one we have right now until we can get home to tell our parents our story."

An almost high pitched sound fills the room, startling the group. Looking towards the source, the group saw Airi on the bed, laying directly on Kageryuu's tail. A blur of white enters the room, heading towards the bed the white haired woman and the black dragon lay. Akito moves his sister off of Kageryuu's tail and moves Airi to the be he shared with Yaro. Xia gets away from her bed and scurries to Airi, hoping that she's not on the verge of death.

"How long does it take to recover from a curse related illness?" inquired Hakkai. "And what do you normally do to treat it?"

"It usually takes a majority of the night and the following morning." answered Xia. "But it depends on if we run into youkai during our travels."

"We usually just give one or both tea and chicken broth, allowing them to have something easy on their stomachs."

"Well, we're stuck here until she's recovered." stated Xia. "And Airi has a fever. She's going to need to stay in bed until tomorrow. Sorry, guys. If Ai-chan and I didn't have curses that made us sick off and on, we'd definitely be gone by now."

"Speaking of, how do you know that other priests can't do it?" inquired Goku.

"We went to other priests as we traveled, trying to find some way to be free." answered Xia. "We haven't been able to find anyone who specializes in out particular case."

"Is there anything else that comes with the curse?" inquired Hakkai.

"We have phoenix markings on our backs." said Xia. "They look more like tattoos though."

"Sounds to me like this curse is dangerous." stated Sanzo. "I'm right to assume that these random bouts of getting sick happens during battle as well?"

"Yes." answered Xia. "Especially when there's a rather large group of enemies surrounding us."

"Since we stuck here until tomorrow, I'll go ahead and make breakfast before heading out to pick up stuff for lunch." said Hakkai. "Do you wish to come with me, Xia?"

"Yes." answered Xia. "Yaro, Akito, make sure both Gojyo and Sanzo stay away from Airi."

"We will." said the twins, glaring over at both men.

"Hakkai, I'll help you make breakfast." said Xia. "This way, we'll be able to get out of here sooner to pick up things for lunch and maybe dinner depending on how Airi is feeling later."


	3. Chapter 3

**_Creating New Bonds_**

_**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Saiyuki, its characters, or its storyline. Kazuya Minekura has all rights to everything relating to Saiyuki. Unless stated otherwise, any characters and storyline you don't recognize are mine.**_

_**NOTE: First, I'd like to apologize for not posting anything for a while. I've been busy with work, house sitting, and dog sitting. I'll be working on the stories for here off and on, so please be patient. Second, I honestly don't know when the next chapter will be typed up and posted. This is how I happen to handle migraines should I get them. Everyone handles them and experiences them differently.**_

Chapter 3

Airi felt herself floating, as if she were laying on her back in water. Her sickness didn't seem to bother her, as if someone or something healed her. She opened her eyes and found herself in a field of blue, green, yellow, and purple flowers. A slight wind blew the grass and flowers around, going by gently.

_ "__You should know better than cause trouble, Rinsai." _stated a woman's voice._ "Especially to the man you had been secretly in love with back in heaven."_

Airi sat up, deciding to see who the mysterious voice belonged to. Before her stood a woman with long black hair in a ponytail, violet eyes, and wore a white robe-like dress. Brown eyes meet purple ones, causing the black haired woman to smirk as soon as their eyes met.

_"__Who... Who are you?" _inquired Airi as she stood up, wobbling a bit as she did so. _"And who is Rinsai?"_

This causes a frown to briefly be on the woman's lips, but quickly reverts back to a smirk.

_"Don't worry about it."_ stated the woman. _"My name is Kanzeon Bosatsu. I'm here to ease your curse a little."_

_"And what do I owe you in return?"_ inquired Airi. _"__With you__d__oing that means I owe you something in return."_

_"You are an __observant__ one, aren't you?"_ chuckled Kanzeon. _"__However, you don't owe me anything. Yet."_

Airi stood before the goddess with a deadpan expression, like she didn't believe a word the woman before her said.

_"And when exactly are you going to collect your debt?"_ inquired the cursed woman.

_"You'll see."_ stated Kanzeon smugly. _"Now shut up and let me help you out."_

_"Fine."_ said Airi.

The goddess of mercy merely grins smugly as she begins to walk towards the woman, making Airi roll her eyes at the smug grin. Kanzeon Bosatsu stopped in front of the younger woman and places her right hand onto Airi's forehead, her smug grin seeming to grow a bit at the woman's slight annoyance.

_"__How long does this normally take?"_ inquired Airi after three minutes.

_"You're a bit impatient." _stated the goddess, removing her hand from the young woman's forehead. _"You need to wake up. Just as a warning, you may have a migraine when you wake up."_

The smirk on Kanzeon Bosatsu's lips became a full blown smile, chuckling at the angry expression the cursed woman wore.

_"Bitch." _growled Airi as she felt herself fading away.

* * *

"-AT BACK, ERO KAPPA!" shouted a young male voice.

Airi didn't recognize the voice at first, the voice sounding familiar to her. She slowly sat up as she opened her eyes, a hand going to her head. It felt like someone or something ran around in her head and using a sledge hammer, trying to turn her brain into mush and her skull into dust. Her stomach wasn't feeling much better as it felt like she had eaten something that disagreed with her. She gets up and runs to the bathroom, feeling something beginning to rise from the very pit of her stomach. This gains her the attention of the others in the room, worry becoming evident on the faces of Yaro, Akito, Xia, and Hakkai. Goku and Gojyo watched with curiosity, wondering what was wrong with Airi. Sanzo stared after Airi with an indifferent expression, uncaring of what was wrong with the woman. Xia gets up from her spot beside Hakkai.

"What's wrong with her, Hakkai?" inquired the golden eyed boy. "Why did she run into the bathroom like that? Did she have to go bad?"

"She's sick, Goku." replied Hakkai. "Airi just needs some space."

"That answers one of my question, Hakkai." said Goku. "Is she going to die from it?"

"Goku, shut up." stated Sanzo once the sounds of retching filled the bathroom.

"But, Sanzo -"

The priest stopped Goku in mid-whine, his snub nosed Smith and Wesson aimed at the boy. The golden haired boy immediately closes his mouth, staring wide eyed at the blonde beside him. Gojyo remains quiet, figuring out what was wrong with Airi around the time Sanzo did.

'I never enjoyed migraines.' thought Gojyo as he placed one of his hi-lights between his lips. 'Then again, no one does. Judging from Sanzo's reaction to the sound of vomiting from Airi, he's at least experienced a few himself. At least he's understanding of others who get migraines.'

Akito stood by the door of the bathroom, making Gojyo jump a little as he hadn't noticed the young man move from his spot between Hakkai and Goku. Yaro – who also moved without Gojyo's noticed – stood beside his brother holding a bowl.

"Airi, you were out for a while." stated Yaro.

"You've been out for five hours, Ai." sai Xia. "Ignore doofus over there. Don't worry about Kageryuu. She's fine and is sleeping peacefully beside Hakuryuu in the room Sanzo and his group shares."

Airi looks up at Xia and her brothers, feeling weak. She attempts to get up, legs feeling like wet noodles as she tried to do so.


	4. Chapter 4

**_Creating New Bonds_**

_**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Saiyuki, its characters, or its storyline. Kazuya Minekura has all rights to everything relating to Saiyuki. Unless stated otherwise, any characters and storyline you don't recognize are mine.**_

Chapter 4

"Damn that goddess for making me sick." grumbled Airi, swaying as she attempted to walk back towards the bed she shared with Xia.

"What goddess, Ai-chan?" inquired Akito. "Wait, does this mean you're into women?"

In a quick swoop, Airi whipped right around and punched her brother's face. A satisfying crack is heard upon impact as Akito yelped and his hands shooting up to his nose. Without a word, Airi is back to walking to her shared bed.

"You should know better than to say that to her, Akito." sighed Yaro. "Have you not learned anything from when we've been traveling? Ai-chan isn't going to date until she and Xia aren't cursed anymore."

"That doesn't mean she can't have sex with anyone." said Akito.

It was Xia's turn to hit Akito. She slapped the back of his head, a glare on her face.

"You are such a horny asshole!" growled Xia. "You must be experiencing more hormones if all you think about is sex and girl-on-girl action. Ugh, you make me sick."

"Sounds like someone I know." stated Sanzo, glaring over at the hanyou sitting near him.

"Leave me out of this, corrupt monk." said Gojyo, glaring back at the blonde. "I said nothing the entire time Airi went to the bathroom to give her body the chance to kick out whatever crap she didn't need in her."

"Boys, if you're gonna fight, do it outside." stated Airi weakly. "I don't have the energy to deal with it."

"Hakkai, do you know if we have any soup left?" inquired Xia. "The bowl Akito had is on the floor where Airi hit him."

"I don't know if we do." answered Hakkai. "Want me to check while Akito cleans up the mess?"

"If you don't mind." said Xia. "If we don't have soup, then it can be substituted with some crackers and something with lemon-lime in it."

"Alright." said Hakkai. "We don't have anything with lemon-lime in it."

"I'll pick up some while I'm going to pick up more cigarettes." stated Gojyo. "I'll pick up something with chicken broth in it since it helps ease an upset stomach. I know to pick up Malboro Red, Sanzo."

Sanzo gives a grunt, handing the hanyou a small and thin object. Gojyo leaves as Goku goes after him in hopes of getting food for himself. Airi sighs as she sits down onto the bed, her hands going to her temples in hopes of easing some of the pain still lingering in her head. She feels a partially covered hand get placed onto her forehead, the person's skin a lot colder than her own. Brown eyes meet amethyst ones as the male stood before the cursed female.

"You need to lay down." monotoned Sanzo. "If we're going to travel together, I don't need someone one who will get sick all the time and drag the rest of us behind."

"You can take that comment and shove it up your ass, Sanzo." growled Airi. "I don't give a shit on that. Do you seriously think if I could stay from being sick, I could? Not my fault that a spoiled brat for a priestess cursed me. Now go sit your happy ass down before I do something that will put you in a world of hurt and make me regret it later."

This brings the attention of Yaro and Akito immediately. The twins rush over to their sister, hoping nothing else started up.

"Ai-chan, are you alright?" inquired Akito.

"Get away from her." hissed Yaro. "Get away from my sister, douche bag. You're upsetting her."

The name Yaro spat out at Sanzo caused him to become incredibly irritated, almost as if Goku and Gojyo were there being annoying.

"Go ahead." came Airi's voice darkly. "If you know what's best for you, you _won't_ do anything to my brother and put your ass back into that chair you were sitting in."

If there was one thing Airi couldn't – wouldn't – put up with was any threats to her brothers, the only family she knew she had left since she had no way to receive any letter from her parents despite sending them letters from herself and her brothers. There were days when Airi wished her parents came with them, to help them with some of the difficult situations that went on with the twins, with her. She wished that her parents met Xia, that they knew how kind some youkai were regardless of the ones that have gone crazy. Despite having to raise her brothers with Xia's help, despite how hard things got, Airi always found herself wishing she had her parents with her.

There were days when Airi wished she learned how to cook better meals for her brothers. She felt ashamed that she couldn't cook well and felt very embarrassed that Xia had to be the cook for the four of them. Airi feels herself lay down onto the bed, a hand going over her eyes in an attempt to hide how disgusted she is with herself. Her brothers didn't need to know how she felt about herself, at least not at that moment. She also didn't want Sanzo to have something to hold over her head besides her brothers and the sisterly bond she had with Xia.

"Ai-chan?" inquired Yaro's voice.

"Yeah?" answered Airi, her voice thick and slightly dry.

"Don't be too hard on yourself." stated the older twin. "You're still my sister, regardless of what you maybe thinking right now."

Airi removes her hand from her eyes, her brown eyes meeting the brown eyes of Yaro. He seemed to know what his sister thought, as if he had been thinking about it about himself. The oldest of the Shu children sat up and hugged Yaro. The young man responded with a hug of his own, wishing that he didn't feel the same way about himself. He knew that look on his sister's face, knew exactly what she thought about herself. Akito cleared his throat, uncomfortable with the hug his older brother and sister were doing. It had become apparent to Airi that the youngest of the Shu family didn't seem to register the same feelings that Yaro and her felt.

'Good thing we express ourselves differently.' thought Airi. 'Makes me feel better that he does make things a lot easier for Yaro, Xia, and myself to read him.'

Airi and Yaro release each other, the latter turning to the youngest and scowling at him.

"You say you want more of a family relationship and now you're giving this uncomfortable air when we do." stated Yaro. "Make up your damn mind."

Silence fills the room as Sanzo watched in slight amusement and curiosity. He glanced over where the door for the kitchen stood and saw Hakkai and Xia watching in amusement a the twins begin to get into a heat argument. The blonde man's eyes return to the Shu siblings, becoming annoyed with the arguing from the twins. The priest notes Airi's annoyance and decides it best to stay out of it, letting her do her job as an older sister to make the younger ones behave if she felt it needed.

'Commence hitting in three, two, one.' thought Sanzo.

On cue, Airi slaps the backs of the twins' head. Sanzo brings his newspaper up, hoping to hide the amused grin on his face. For once, he may have someone else to help him out with getting the monkey and kappa to shut up without him wasting precious ammunition on them.

"Geez, you two are going to make Airi's head hurt more." said Xia. "Then again, I wasn't any help at all since I'm more amused by how you three act a majority of the time."

"I really hate that we're your entertainment, Xia." stated Airi as she laid back down. "Do you mind getting a trash can over here just in case? I have a feeling there will be a few times when I just won't make it to the bathroom to vomit."

"Your migraine still there?" inquired Hakkai.

"Yes." answered the white haired woman. "It usually leaves once I've vomited, but this one is different. Sanzo, didn't you say I had a fever? Or am I just making that up?"

"You have a fever." answered Sanzo. "Not an incredibly high one, but a fever nonetheless."

"I'll bring you a glass of water." said Xia. "Do you mind getting her the biggest trash can in either of our rooms for her, Hakkai?"

"I don't mind." answered Hakkai. "I'll check your fever once you've drank some water, Airi-san. This way I can gauge how long we're here and how high your fever is."

"Alright." murmured Airi as sleep began to take over.

"Let her sleep some more before we get her to eat." said Yaro. "I hear that sleep helps shoo away illness and helps the body recover faster."

* * *

_**A/N Let me start with why I haven't been posting like I should be on my days off. My work is weird when it comes to having not only days off, but weird hours as well. We don't have a steady schedule in terms of what you think. There's a few days coming up where I'm going to be working four hours and others where I'm working seven and a half. Yeah, as I said, weird hours. As is the case with the schedule, I do have days when I get called into work on my days off. Not that I mind coming in, just that I don't particularly enjoy when I have to give up an off day. Another reason is that my laptop – the very one I'm using mind you – is starting to crap out and I have dozens of other things that are more important than a new laptop. Let's just say that I'm going through some issues that I should have taken care of back when I was in my late teens early twenties. I know these seem like excuses, but I'm being perfectly honest with you guys on this. Posting the next chapter may take a while depending on how everything is going and I assure you that I will get this series finished. Just not when I have a lot of other things that are more important than writing and posting fanfiction. Seriously, I'm not only doing a series for a fanfiction, but for my own original work that I hope to one day publish. Alright, I've filled you guys in... Kinda. Again, sorry that this is coming out so damn slowly.**_


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